OLDS – Local nurses who took part in last Thursday’s provincewide United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) information day say the last thing they want is to take strike action.
RNs from Olds Hospital and Care Centre held an information open house at the Cocoa Tree Bake Shoppe on Highway 27 in Olds, handing out information brochures and speaking to visitors.
RN Lindsey Merrells holds a permanent position at Olds emergency but currently works for Connect Care, the new Alberta Health Services electronic charting system. She took part in the Olds event.
“We are trying to bring awareness to the public about what the government is proposing,” said Merrells. “We are letting people know that cuts to health care are never good for our population and that we have a lot at stake and the public has a lot a stake.
“We (nurses) are at the heart of health care and we fight for our patients and we fight for our colleagues. The fact that they (UCP government) is trying to cut us and reduce the number of jobs is what we are trying to bring awareness to.”
The government is proposing to cut 750 nursing jobs in Alberta this year, she said.
Allyson Campbell is also an RN at Olds emergency. She said cutting nursing staff would benefit no one.
“Even looking at our hospital, we can’t even figure out where we could have one less nurse. On a daily basis we need extra nurses, not fewer. As a person it is scary going to work knowing that,” said Campbell.
The local nurses would like residents to write letters of concern to Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills UCP MLA Nathan Cooper, and to copy those letters to the official Opposition.
“Just write a few sentences about what you disagree the most or what concerns you the most,” said Merrells.
“We are not fighting for more money. We just want our jobs to be secure and we don’t want to be told that we have to work more for less.”
RN Thomas Edwards is the president of Local 43 of the UNA. He also attended the Feb. 13 open house in Olds.
“We want to raise awareness of all nursing in health care,” said Edwards. “Nurses are the heart of health care. None of us should be sacrificed to the detriment of patient care.”
All three nurses said they would not like to see a nursing strike.
“That is not something we want,” said Merrells.
“That’s the last thing we would want and no one wants to see that,” said Campbell.
